Flagged video signal recording apparatus and reproducing apparatus

Abstract: A video data is accompanied or multiplexed with one or more flags indicating a relation between fields or frames of video data for transmission or recording. An interlace flag determines whether the video data is interlaced or not. A still image flag determines whether the video data carries a motion image, a field still image, or a frame still image. A frame change flag determines whether or not a given frame of the still image is identical to its previous frame. At least one of the three different flags is multiplexed with its relevant video data.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1.Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for transmitting or recording a video signal and to a reproducing apparatus for reproducing the video signal. 2.Description of the Prior Art It is known that the conventional television signals are transmitted or recorded on a frame by frame basis. Each frame comprises two fields in which a horizontal scanning line of one field falls between two adjacent horizontal lines of the other field in the. frame. This is called as interlaced scanning. Accordingly, the video signal is transmitted or recorded as interlaced signals in a video signal transmitting or recording apparatus. For reproduction of the video signal, the two fields are interlaced to one frame. The frame by frame basis recording, transmission, or reproduction is applicable to not only a motion image but also a still or slow-motion image. However, there are some drawbacks with such conventional video signal recording or reproducing apparatus: (1) In common home video game machines, two corresponding horizontal lines of their respective fields of a frame are allocated to the same location on a screen for preventing flicker caused by interlacing of the two fields. They are thus called non-interlaced fields. If such a non-interlaced video signal transmitted or recorded is interlaced in reproduction, it will produce flicker. (2) For a still image shot by a camera, each field of its data is temporarily stored in a memory and then transmitted or recorded for a plurality of field periods. Such still image data will also produce flicker when interlaced and reproduced, similar to the non-interlaced signal of the paragraph (1). (3) While a recorded TV signal is reproduced in a slow-motion or still mode, a single field of its data is continuously pulled for a plurality of field periods. Such slow-motion or still .image data after transmitted or recorded will produce flicker when interlaced and reproduced, as well as the still image data of the paragraph (2). (4) If still images and motion images are recorded in a combination, they will hardly be discriminated from each other during the reproduction. Also, it will be difficult to determine whether a still or slow-motion image is reproduced on a frame by frame basis or a field by field basis. (5) When an error occurs during the reproduction of a still image, it is generally eliminated by error concealment. However, since two consecutive frames are not always correlated, a technique of inter-frame concealment can unsuccessfully be used. If the inter-frame concealment is enforced, the quality of a reproduced image may critically be impaired. (6) When a still image is recorded in multiple frames, it will be hard to identify the starting frame of a succeeding still image and the searching of still images by frames will almost be infeasible. (7) Any image data which has been reproduced in a slow-motion or still mode and transmitted or recorded will hardly be identified whether it is a common motion image or a slow-motion or still image. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide video signal recording and reproducing apparatuses in which the above drawbacks are eliminated and a video signal can be recorded, transmitted, or reproduced at optimum level depending on its mode. According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a video signal processing method for processing an input video signal which is composed of video data of continuously occurring frames, each of the frames being constituted by two fields said method comprising the steps of: generating at least one flag related to each frame of the video data; multiplexing said at least one flag with video data of a corresponding frame to obtain a multiplexed frame video data; and transmitting or recording the multiplexed frame video data, characterized in that said generating step includes a step of assigning to an interlace flag as said at least one flag an interlace value when the two fields constituting each frame of the input video signal are interlaced in such a way that each horizontal line of one of the two fields in the frame is located between two adjacent horizontal lines of the other of the two fields in the frame on a picture screen, and a non-interlace value when the two fields constituting the frame are non-interlaced in such a way that two corresponding horizontal lines of the respective two fields in the frame are located on a same position on the picture screen. According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a video signal processing apparatus for an input video signal which is composed of video data of continuously occurring frames, each of the frames being constituted by two fields, said apparatus comprising: a flag generating means for generating at least one flag related to each frame of the video data; a multiplexing means for multiplexing said at least one flag with video data of a corresponding frame to obtain a multiplexed frame video data; and a means for transmitting or recording the multiplexed frame video data, characterized in that said flag generating means includes an interlace flag generating means for generating an interlace flag as said at least one flag, and for assigning to the interlace flag an interlace value when the two fields constituting each frame of the input video signal are interlaced in such a way that each horizontal line of one of the two fields in the frame is located between two adjacent horizontal lines of the other of the two fields in the frame on a picture screen, and a non-interlace value when the two fields constituting the frame are non-interlaced in such a way that two corresponding horizontal lines of the respective two fields in the frame are located on a same position on the picture screen. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a video signal processing apparatus for receiving or reproducing a recorded video signal which is composed of video data of continuously occurring frames, each of the frames being constituted by two fields, characterized in that each of the frames is accompanied with an interlace flag which indicates that video data of the two fields constituting each frame is either such an interlaced signal that each horizontal line of one of the two fields in the frame is located between two adjacent horizontal lines of the other of the two fields in the frame on a picture screen or such a non-interlaced signal that two corresponding horizontal lines of the respective two fields in the frame are located on a same position on the picture screen, and said apparatus comprises: an interlace flag decoding means for decoding and examining the interlace flag to determine whether the video data in the frame is an interlaced signal or a non-interlaced signal; and an output means operable when it is judged by the interlace flag decoding means that the video data in the frame is the interlaced signal for scanning each horizontal line of one of the two fields in the frame between two adjacent horizontal lines of the other of the two fields on a picture screen, and operable when it is judged by the interlace flag decoding means that the video data in the frame is the non-interlaced signal for scanning two corresponding horizontal lines of the respective two fields in the frame in the same location of the picture screen or for scanning each horizontal line of one of the two fields in the frame between two adjacent horizontal lines of the other of the two fields by interlacing with an interline filter. In the operation of the foregoing apparatus, it is examined whether the input video signal is interlaced or not and a resultant information flag is transmitted or recorded together with the video data. For example, if a video signal of a home video game machine is received for reproduction, it can selectively be processed by interlacing or non-interlacing process. If a video signal of still images which is introduced from a camera has temporarily been stored on a field by field basis in a memory and transmitted or recorded in the form of a series of identical fields, it is identified as a non-interlaced signal. Hence, field data for the still image transmitted and recorded can be reproduced as a non-interlaced image, which does not generate flicker. Also when a recorded video data is reproduced field by field in a slow-motion or still image mode and then transmitted or recorded again, it is identified as a non-interlaced signal. The field data in the slow-motion or still image mode will thus be reproduced as a non-interlaced image free from flicker. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1a is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the video signal recording apparatus of the present invention; Fig. 1b is an explanatory view showing a multiplexed format of the first embodiment; Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary arrangement of an interlace flag generator according to the present invention; Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the video signal recording apparatus of the present invention; Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a third embodiment of the video signal recording apparatus of the present invention; Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the video signal reproducing apparatus of the present invention; Fig. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary arrangement of an output mode selector according to the present invention; Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the video signal reproducing apparatus of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Fig. 1a is a block diagram of a first embodiment of the video signal recording apparatus according to the present invention. A video signal fed through a video input 100 is converted by an analog-to-digital or AD converter 101 to its digital equivalent. The digital video signal is transmitted to a video encoder 102 and an interlace flag generator 103. The video encoder 102 encodes the digital video signal to a specific format suitable for recording, where the encoding may be carried out using a known video data compression method. The video data compression method allows the digital video signal to be divided into blocks, each block comprising a group of adjacent pixels, and then subjected to orthogonal transformation to produce its data compressed form. At the result of the encoding, the data of the digital video signal is compressed and reduced considerably. The interlace flag generator 103 examines whether two fields of a frame in the video signal are interlaced or not and produces an interlace flag according to the result of examination. The interlace flag is then multiplexed with the encoded image data from the video encoder 102 by a multiplexer 104. A resultant composite data is transferred to a recording encoder 105 where it is error collection encoded and frequency encoded before recorded by a magnetic head 110 onto a magnetic recording tape 106. The multiplexer 104 will now be explained in more details referring to Fig. 1b. Fig. 1b illustrates the allocation of a record with the use of a digital video cassette recorder (DVCR). As shown, denoted by (a) is one of a series of helical recording tracks defined on the magnetic tape by the DVCR which comprises an audio sector for storage of digital audio data, a video sector for storage of digital video data, and control sectors assigned to the front and rear ends of the track for storage of control factors including an index information. The video sector comprises first and second video auxiliary data and a main video data, as shown in (b) of Fig. 1b. The first video auziliary data includes video sector control data and time codes required for reproduction of the main video data. In particular, the first video auxiliary data contains a flag field as shown in (c) of Fig- 1b. In this flag field, the interlace flag of one bit is followed by a still image flag of one bit and a frame change flag of one bit which both will be described later. Although this embodiment employs three different types of the flags, one or two of them may be used as desired. For increasing the reliability, multiple sets of the three flags may repeatedly be recorded at equal intervals. It should be understood that the format of the recording track is not limited to that shown in Fig. 1b. As the interlace flag is inserted, the video signal can readily be identified whether it is an interlaced or non-interlaced signal. If the video signal is a non-interlaced signal such as an output of a video game machine, it is not interlaced in reproduction thus preventing the generation of flicker. Fig. 2 shows an exemplary arrangement of the interlace flag generator 103, in which a video signal output of the video input 100 is fed to a V blanking waveform detector 201 where the waveform of a vertical blanking period is extracted. The waveform is then stored in a memory 202. A vertical blanking waveform of the succeeding field delivered directly from the V blanking waveform detector 201 is compared by a comparator 203 with the waveform of the previous field stored in the memory 202. If the two waveforms are not identical to each other, it is judged that the video signal is an interlaced signal. Accordingly, a flag generator 204 assigns 1 of a binary bit to the interlace flag when the comparator 203 detects the interlaced signal and 0 when it detects a non-interlaced signal. When the two vertical blanking waveforms of their respective fields are identical, it is determined by the above flag setting arrangement of Fig. 2 that the video signal is a non-interlaced signal such as an output of a video game machine. The flag setting according to the present invention is not limited to the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 and may be executed by any appropriate manner. Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of the video signal recording apparatus according to the present invention, where a video signal is fed through a camera input 301 and stored in a memory 303. The memory 303 in response to a still image message from a still image button switch 302 mounted to a video camera delivers the video signal to a video encoder 102. The still image button switch 302 allows an operator to determine whether a still picture to be taken is of field or frame format. The still image message is thus indicative of a mode of the video signal fed through the camera input 301: a motion image, a field format still image, or a frame format still image. The field format images are two times greater in number than the frame format images. On the contrary, the frame format images are higher in the quality than the field format images. When the video signal is a field format still image, the memory 303 delivers data of a desired field to the video encoder 102 for a plurality of field periods. When the video signal is a frame format still image, the memory 303 sends data of one frame to the video encoder 102 for a plurality of frame periods. When the video signal is a motion image, it delivers data of one field for a field period. The video signal is compressed and encoded by the video encoder 102 to its recording form. The still image message from the still image switch 302 is also transferred to an interlace flag generator 304. When the field format still image is detected, the interlace flag is set to 0 for non-interlacing. When the frame format still image or motion image is introduced, the interlace flag is set to 1. The interlace flag is multiplexed by a multiplexer 104 with the encoded video signal from the video encoder 102. A resultant composite signal is subjected to error concealment and frequency encoding processes in a recording encoder 105 for converting to a recording format signal suitable for magnetic recording through a record head 110 onto a magnetic tape 106. In common, if the field format still image is interlaced in reproduction, it will oscillate vertically between fields producing a so-called dancing effect. According to the foregoing arrangement shown in Fig. 3, when the input video signal carries a succession of identical field image data, it is not interlaced to avoid the dancing effect during the reproduction. The camera input 301 is not limited to the receipt of a video camera signal but may be connected to any still image producing apparatus. Fig. 4 illustrates a third embodiment of the video signal recording apparatus according to the present invention, in which a recorded video data is reproduced and recorded again. In a reproducing unit of the apparatus, the video data stored on a magnetic tape 400 is retrieved with a playback head 120 and reconstructed with a reproducer 401. Simultaneously, the reproducer 401 delivers to a reproducing mode output 402 a playback information of common motion, slow-motion, or still image mode reproduction. The reproducing mode output 402 determines the reproducing mode from the tape feed movement and the result of a process in the reproducer 401. The video data reconstructed by the reproducing unit is then transferred to a video encoder 102 where it is compressed and encoded to its recording form. Similarly, a reproducing mode signal from the reproducing mode output 402 is transmitted to an interlace flag generator 403 where when the video data is a slow-motion or still field image, an interlace flag is set to "0" for non-interlacing and when not, an interlace flag is et to "1" for interlacing. The interlace flag is multiplexed by a multiplexer 104 with the video data from the video encoder 102. A resultant composite data is subjected to error correction and frequency encoding processes in a recording encoder 105 for converting to a recording format signal suitable for magnetic recording through a record head 110 onto a magnetic tape 106. Equally in this arrangement, when the video data is a succession of identical fields in a slow-motion or still image mode, it is not interlaced in reproduction to prevent the dancing effect. It is also possible that if the video data is an encoded form, it is bypassed without passing across the video encoder 102. Fig. 5 shows a first embodiment of the video signal reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, in which the video data recorded by one of the video signal recording apparatuses shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4 is reproduced. The video signal retrieved by a playback head 120 from a magnetic tape 106 is demodulated, reshaped, and error corrected by a decoder 501. A resultant decoded digital data is separated by an interlace flag separator 502 into a video data and an interlace flag. The video data is decoded on a field by field basis by a video decoder 504 and fed to an output mode selector 505. The interlace flag is transferred to an interlace flag detector 503 where it is examined to determine whether or not the video data is an interlaced signal. If the video signal is an interlaced signal, the video data is subjected to interlacing by the output mode selector 505 and transmitted to a video output 506. If not, the video data is not interlaced across the output mode selector 505 and delivered to the video output 506. Accordingly, the video data will be reproduced in the same mode as of the recording thus causing no dancing effect and no flicker. It would be understood that the noninterlaced video signal is applicable to any other enhancement process for optimum output. Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing an exemplary arrangement of the output mode selector 505 shown in Fig. 5. As shown, the video signal decoded by the video decoder 504 is fed to a selector 602 and an interline filter 604. The interline filter 604 performs interline filtering so that two scanning lines of their respective fields of the video signal are interlaced. If the video signal is interlaced, the selector 602 transmits directly the video data from the video decoder 504 to the video output 506 in response to a mode information output of the interlace flag detector 503. If the video signal carries a non-interlaced data, it is passed through the interline filter 604 for interlacing action before delivering to the video output 506. According to the arrangement shown in Fig. 6, since the non-interlaced signal is subjected to the interlacing action of the interline filter 604, it will be delivered as an interlaced signal with no dancing effect. Fig. 7 illustrates a second embodiment of the video signal reproducing apparatus according to the present invention. It is a good idea as shown in Fig. 1b that a plurality of different flags are added to the video data. The reproducing apparatus of this embodiment is intended to reproduce a recorded signal multiplexed with both the interlace flag and a still image flag. The signal retrieved by a playback head 120 from a magnetic tape 106 is decoded by a record decoder 501 to a digital data. The digital data is then divided by an interlace flag/still image flag separator 1301 into the interlaced flag, the still image flag, and the video data. The video data is decoded on a field by field basis with a video decoder 504 and transferred to an output mode selector 1303. The interlace and still image flags are fed to an interlace flag/still image flag detector 1302 where they are used to examine whether or not the video data is interlaced and carries a still image. Simultaneously, a slow-motion switch 1304 delivers a corresponding signal of common motion, slow-motion, or still image mode as determined by an operator of the apparatus. If it is judged by the output mode selector 1303 that the video data is an interlaced still image and the signal from the switch 1304 indicates the slow-motion or still image mode, the video data is interlaced and transmitted to the video output 506. If it is judged by the output mode selector 1303 that the video data is a non-interlaced or motion image and the signal from the switch 1304 indicates the slow-motion or still image mode, the video data is not interlaced but transmitted directly to the video output 506. The output mode selector 1303 is identical in the construction to that shown in Fig. 6 where the selector 602 is adapted responsive to an output of the interlace flag/still image flag detector 1302. According to the arrangement shown in Fig. 7, the frame of a still image (of an interlaced video signal) can automatically be reproduced in the slow-motion or still image mode thus providing a higher resolution. It is understood that the video data encoding, multiplexing, recording data encoding, recorded data decoding, and video data decoding in the embodiments can be implemented by any appropriate manners. The present invention is applicable to not only the magnetic tape recording but also magnetic disk recording, optical disk recording, optomagnetic recording, and other medium recording, and to data transfer through various means including cables. The present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments and a combination of some of the embodiments and other arrangements will be possible. A part or section of any embodiment may be implemented by either a hardware or a software. Any of the described apparatuses may be reduced in cost by selecting between the presence and absence of an interlace flag or a non-interlace flag. Similarly, the still image flag and/or the frame change flag may be prepared to have only constant values. It is also possible that the reproducing apparatus is adapted to perform a reproduction regardless of any flags. As set forth above, the recording apparatus and the reproducing apparatus according to the present invention are obviously feasible using simple arrangements and highly suitable for practical use.

Claims: A video signal processing method for processing an input video signal which is composed of video data of continuously occurring frames, each of the frames being constituted by two fields, said method comprising the steps of: generating (103) at least one flag for each frame of the video data, each flag being related to a respective one of the frames of the video data; multiplexing (104) each at least one flag with the video data of the corresponding frame to obtain multiplexed frame video data for each frame; and transmitting (105) or recording the multiplexed frame video data, said method being characterized in that said generating step includes a step of assigning (103, 304, 403) to each flag an interlace value when the two fields constituting the respective frame of the input video signal to which a respective flag relates are interlaced in such a way that each horizontal line of one of the two fields in the frame is located between two adjacent horizontal lines of the other of the two fields in the frame on a picture screen, and a non-interlace value when the two fields constituting the frame are non-interlaced in such a way that two corresponding horizontal lines of the respective two fields in the frame are located on a same position on the picture screen, whereby each flag is an interlace flag. A video signal processing method according to claim 1, wherein the assigning step (304) is responsive to an externally given video mode information signal for assigning to the interlace flag the interlace value when the externally given video mode information signal indicates that the two fields in the frame to which the flag relates constitute a frame still image, and the non-interlace value when the externally given video mode information signal indicates that each of the two fields in the frame constitute a field still image. A video signal processing method according to claim 1, wherein the input video signal is a reproduction video signal having been reproduced from a recording medium, and wherein the assigning step (403) is responsive to an externally given reproduction mode signal for assigning to the interlace flag the non-interlace value when the externally given reproduction mode signal indicates that the reproduction video signal has been reproduced in a slow-motion or still image reproduction mode. A video signal processing apparatus for an input video signal which is composed of video data of continuously occurring frames, each of the frames being constituted by two fields, said apparatus comprising: a flag generating means (103) for generating at least one flag for each frame of the video data, each flag being related to a respective one of the frames of the video data; a multiplexing means (104) for multiplexing each at least one flag with video data of the corresponding frame to obtain multiplexed frame video data for each frame; and a means (105) for transmitting or recording the multiplexed frame video data, characterized in that said flag generating means includes an interlace flag generating means (103, 304, 403) for generating a respective interlace flag as each at least one flag, and for assigning to each respective interlace flag an interlace value when the two fields constituting the respective frame of the input video signal to which a flag relates are interlaced in such a way that each horizontal line of one of the two fields in the frame is located between two adjacent horizontal lines of the other of the two fields in the frame on a picture screen, and a non-interlace value when the two fields constituting the frame are non-interlaced in such a way that two corresponding horizontal lines of the respective two fields in the frame are located on a same position on the picture screen. A video signal processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the interlace flag generating means (304)is responsive to an externally given video mode information signal for assigning to the interlace flag the interlace value when the externally given video mode information signal indicates that the two fields in the frame to which the flag relates constitute a frame still image, and the non-interlace value when the externally given video mode information signal indicates that each of the two fields in the frame constitute a field still image. A video signal processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the input video signal is a reproduction video signal having been reproduced from a recording medium, and wherein the interlace flag generating means (403) is responsive to an externally given reproduction mode signal for assigning to the interlace flag the non-interlace value when the externally given reproduction mode signal indicates that the reproduction video signal has been reproduced in a slow-motion or still image reproduction mode. A video signal processing apparatus for receiving or reproducing a recorded video signal which is composed of video data of continuously occurring frames, each of the frames being constituted by two fields, characterized in that each of the frames is accompanied with an interlace flag which indicates that video data of the two fields constituting the frame to which a respective interlace flag relates is either such an interlaced signal that each horizontal line of one of the two fields in the frame is located between two adjacent horizontal lines of the other of the two fields in the frame on a picture screen or such a non-interlaced signal that two corresponding horizontal lines of the respective two fields in the frame are located on a same position on the picture screen, and said apparatus comprises: an interlace flag decoding means (503,1302) for decoding and examining the interlace flag to determine whether the video data in the frame is an interlaced signal or a non-interlaced signal; and an output means (505, 506, 1303) operable when it is judged by the interlace flag decoding means that the video data in the frame is the interlaced signal for scanning each horizontal line of one of the two fields in the frame between two adjacent horizontal lines of the other of the two fields on a picture screen, and operable when it is judged by the interlace flag decoding means that the video data in the frame is the non-interlaced signal for scanning two corresponding horizontal lines of the respective two fields in the frame in the same location of the picture screen or for scanning each horizontal line of one of the two fields in the frame between two adjacent horizontal lines of the other of the two fields by interlacing with an interline filter.

Inventors: GOTOU MAKOTO, JURI TATSURO, YAMAGUCHI SUSUMU, GOTOU, MAKOTO, JURI, TATSURO, YAMAGUCHI, SUSUMU
Applicants: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC IND CO LTD, MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: H04N5
IPC codes: H04N5, H04N7